Out With The Old, In With The Young

Yesterday Canucks’ GM Mike Gills finally addressed the top six forward issue that the team has had recently by acquiring David Booth from Florida. For the last couple of seasons it has been a rotating door on Vancouver’s second line. Ryan Kesler has been the only constant while Coach AV has been attempting to find the right fit. A couple seasons back it appeared that Mason Raymond and Mikael Samuelsson were the right partners since they had career seasons, but that all dwindled last year, due to inconsistency and injuries.

Devils battling minor injuries; the future of Devils goaltending



Adam Larsson has played big minutes for the Devils,
despite having only played 4 NHL games.

http://www.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2011/10/devils_rookie_adam_larsson_sid.html

 The 3-1-0 New Jersey Devils have won three consecutive games since dropping their Opening Night contest, 3-0 to Philadelphia.  In the process, rookie defenseman and 2011 fourth overall draft pick Adam Larsson has received big minutes.  According to hockeyreference.com, Larsson is averaging 24:14 of ice-time per game through four games.  He was struck in his leg during a practice and missed an additional practice session following the team's recent victory in Nashville.  Larsson returned to practice today.

2011-2012 Canuck Predictions

On the eve of the 2011-2012 regular season and in honor of the newest Canuck Marco Sturm and former Canuck Tanner Glass, here are 15 realistic predictions for the upcoming season on the west coast:

1. Unfortunately there won’t be a three-peat in terms of a Sedin Art Ross winner …Ovechkin, Stamkos or a wild card Crosby will win the crown.

Questions Leading into Training Camp

With training camp beginning this Friday for the Vancouver Canucks, there are a lot of questions about what the opening roster will look like. To begin with, Ryan Kesler and Mason Raymond are both out with injuries, which leaves two spots up for grabs on the teams second line. Will this be the year that Cody Hodgson reaches the potential that we’ve heard about for years? Gillis has been very active with extending professional tryouts, will we see any of Nolan, Begin or Legace come October 6th? Finally, of all the signed players in the off-season, do any of them actually have a legitimate chance at cracking the roster?

We'll Miss you Rick...

The sudden death of Rick Rypien has most hockey fans shocked and saddened. It is never easy to witness a young life come to an end far so early, regardless of fame, stature, prestige or level of success. In this case the cut is a bit deeper due to the the events and circumstances leading up to it. Rick was often referred to as one of the best pound for pound fighters in the NHL. Having the pleasure to watch him fight was a true delight. He was a little bulldog who had lightning speed punches that often perplexed is often larger adversary.

Lack of Arbitration, Jannik Hansen, and the Latest on the Canucks

Summer time can be very quiet in the hockey world, but that does not always translate into a lack of intriguing story lines. I for one stay very interested in the player movements and drama if you will during the NHL off-season. Whether it's trade rumors, actual trades, signings, mass speculation, selection of new staff, and more recently is that of the player tweet. It's a fun time to sit around in the sun with a fellow fan and talk about what could be in the coming NHL season. Being an avid Vancouver Canucks fan I follow them quite closely in the days of July and August, so I will delve into that as usual but there has been an unprecedented trend this summer in regards to the lack of actual arbitration hearings taking place.

The Current State of the Vancouver Canucks

For the Vancouver Canucks and their fans, it was truly a roller-coaster ride of a season and playoffs. It was very emotional, very exciting, and very intense. Many other appropriate adjectives could be used in an attempt to accurately captivate the vibe that was flowing through the beautiful west coast city, but unfortunately we will never know what it would have been like if they had won game 7. In the end the season must be labeled as a success, and I believe a foundation is in place for years of Stanley Cup contention. But, in the meantime let’s review where the team is now, and what has transpired thus far in the off-season.